Feitshans would close next year under school budget cut plan

MOLLY BECK

Tuesday

Mar 27, 2012 at 12:01 AMMar 27, 2012 at 7:56 AM

School Superintendent Walter Milton is proposing more than $5 million in budget cuts for next year, including the closure of Feitshans Academy. In future years, Milton also is suggesting consolidation of some smaller elementary schools and the possible closure of Iles Middle School.

Springfield School Superintendent Walter Milton is proposing nearly $5 million in budget cuts for next school year, including the closure of Feitshans Academy.

In future years, Milton also is suggesting consolidation of some smaller elementary schools and the possible closure of Iles Middle School.

According to a draft of the suggested cuts, Milton proposes eliminating about 60 positions throughout the school district. He said it is not immediately clear how many of those eliminations would be through attrition, reassignments or layoffs.

Of the affected positions, 32 are considered classroom cuts.

The reductions would save between $5.2 million and $7.2 million next school year, according to the proposal.

“(The cuts are) across the board,” School Board President Bill Looby said. “One of the guiding goals from the board last year and two years ago when we had to make budget cuts … is to keep (them) as far from the classroom as you can, but there’s no getting around the fact, cuts are going to affect classroom.”

After the coming school year, the district's strategy, according to the proposal, includes up to $3 million in further reductions for the 2013-14 and 2014-15 school years.

Feitshans enrollment down

Closing Feitshans would reduce the district's budget deficit by $450,000, according to the document.

The Springfield School Board voted last year to phase out the elementary school portion of Feitshans, which currently houses first- through fifth-graders. As a result, kindergarten was dropped this year.

Feitshans' enrollment has dropped to 148 this year, down from 266 last year and more than 600 10 years ago.

“Rather than experience further attrition by gradually closing the school, a quicker shut-down is best for all,” the document says.

The Capital College Preparatory Academy also is housed in the Feitshans building. Milton is not seeking its closure next year, but among possible cuts listed for the 2013-14 and 2014-15 school years is elimination of the prep academy.

The CCPA also could be maintained as a sixth- through eighth-grade program, the document says. When the board voted to phase out Feitshans, plans were that the prep academy would add ninth grade. Tenth- through 12th-graders in the academy would attend classes at a local college or university.

Reiko Hurd, principal of Feitshans Academy, said if the board votes to close the magnet school, the transition remains unclear.

The proposal also says consolidating smaller elementary schools would allow the district to further reduce teaching, support staff and administrative positions. School boundaries would be consolidated to rebalance class sizes and enrollments.

Milton said he did not believe a tax referendum was an option to bring to the school board.

“We’re confident that the cuts we’ve decided to do are good, and we are going to try to maintain what we’ve established to the best of our ability,” Milton said.

Alexander Ikejiaku, the district’s director of human resources and development, said the district has 51 vacancies at the moment.

Employees who might be laid off must be told by April 11, under school rules. The board could vote on Milton’s plan April 9.

Six-period school days

The focus of most of the discussion during a special school board meeting held Monday to discuss the reductions was a proposal to return to a six-period school day at the high-school level. The change would result in $2 million in savings, according to Milton.

However, Southeast High School principal Jason Wind said students have had opportunities to take more classes since the high schools switched to seven periods in 2009-10.

Crafting a new system would mean graduation requirements also would change, he said.

“It’s a money issue with the board, but we want to have some consistency with our students as well,” he said.

Milton said seven periods have been successful at Southeast, but data suggest the change hasn’t made enough of a difference elsewhere. The budget proposal suggests keeping the seven-period schedule for another year to “”prepare for a new model for the 2013-14 school year.”

Board member Susan White suggested accelerating the switch to next year in order to avoid dipping into the district’s education fund balance further.

However, board members Candace Mueller and Lisa Funderburg said they would have trouble voting either way on such a measure.

“We can’t just look at $2 million and say, ‘Great, here’s a good place to get rid of $2 million,’” Mueller said. “I’m just very confused, I feel ill-informed, and I just feel like there’s not a data-driven academic achievement plan of action here.

Looby said Milton’s plan will create “pain everywhere.”

“Contrary to some public opinion, there’s not a lot of fat here to cut,” he said. “We’re cutting into things that are going to affect our kids regardless.”

***

Largest cuts proposed for 2012-13

* Reassign administrative interns from all high schools and four middle schools back to classroom instruction — 11 positions, $627,000

* Freeze school and administrative spending for fiscal year 2012. Dire needs would be assessed on a case-by-case basis — $525,000 (not included in 2012-13 school year)

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